The 2013 winner Treve returned and attracted some support, despite having been beaten in all three of her races in 2014. The most fancied of the French runners were the three-year-olds Ectot, winner of the Prix Niel and the unbeaten filly Avenir Certain winner of the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and the Prix de Diane. The other French contenders included Flintshire, Dolniya, Prince of Gibraltar and Spiritjim. There were three runners from Japan, headed by the Dubai Duty Free winner Just A Way who was moving up in distance. The other Japanese runners were the multiple Grade I winner Gold Ship and the filly Harp Star who had won the Oka Sho and recorded an upset win over Gold Ship at Sapporo in August. Britain was represented by Taghrooda, a three-year-old filly who had won the Epsom Oaks and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the St Leger winner Kingston Hill and the six-year-old Al Kazeem, winner of the 2013 Eclipse Stakes who had been returned to racing after an unsuccessful spell at stud. There were three runners from Ireland, all from the Ballydoyle stable: Ruler of the World who had won the 2013 Epsom Derby and returned to form with a win in the Prix Foy, Tapestry who had recorded an upset win over Taghrooda in the Yorkshire Oaks and Chicquita, winner of the Irish Oaks in 2013. Germany was represented by the four-year-old Ivanhowe, who had defeated Sea The Moon in the Grosser Preis von Baden. Taghrooda was sent off the 5.5/1 favourite, ahead of Avenir Certain, Ectot, Harp Star, and Just A Way with Treve starting at odds of 14.4/1.
The race
Ruler of the World started quickly, but was soon overtaken by Montviron, the pacemaker for Ectot. Flintshire, Taghrooda and Kingston Hill stayed on well, and Harp Star made rapid progress on the wide outside from a seemingly impossible position, but none of them were able to mount a serious challenge to the leader. Treve won by two lengths from Flintshire with Taghrooda in third ahead of Kingston Hill, Dolniya and Harp Star.
Race details
Sponsor: Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club
Purse: €5,000,000
Going: Good
Distance: 2,400 metres
Number of runners: 20
Winner's time: 2:26.05
Full result
Abbreviations: ns = nose; shd = short-head; hd = head; snk = short neck; nk = neck
Just A Way - Velox Kingston Hill - Minor flat winners Prince Gibraltar - Minor flat winners Gold Ship - Minor winners in Japan Harp Star - Minor runner in Japan Flintshire - Exported to America - Offspring yet to race Ectot - Offspring yet to race Ivanhowe - Offspring yet to race Free Port Lux - Offspring yet to race
Broodmares
Chicquita - Secret Thoughts Taghrooda - Minor flat winner Tapestry - Minor flat winner Avenir Certain - Exported to Japan - Minor runner Treve - Offspring yet to race Dolniya - Offspring yet to race Siljan's Saga - Offspring yet to race
